Review: JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa

Heading to attend the Waste Management Open in Scottsdale, Arizona for the weekend, the Frugal Flyer founders were in need of a place to stay with relative proximity to TPC Scottsdale. The JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa was an enticing option with the reliable JW brand.

Read on for our review of the property, sans any of the golfing facilities on the property as we were just spectators this weekend and didn’t do any golfing ourselves.  

Booking 

I booked the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback several months in advance of our trip, initially into a Resort Casita guest room for a steeply discounted industry rate. During off-peak times you can book this property for as little as 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points a night, however events like the Waste Management Open can see pricing skyrocket.

I emailed the property about a month in advance of our stay to request an upgrade and was told it was noted but nothing could be offered at the time due to high occupancy. Then, a few days before the stay I sent a chat message via the Marriott Bonvoy app and was pleasantly upgraded to the Camelback Sundeck Casita 2 queen room. 

At the same time I had 3 Nightly Upgrade Awards applied to the booking which were denied the day before the stay.

Check-in

We arrived a bit early to our stay, around noon, which is the exact time I indicated to the hotel that we would be arriving at. However, we experienced somewhat subpar customer service from the front desk agent Denise in the handling of our room readiness. 

Although we didn’t expect the room to be ready early necessarily, the front desk staff were consistently incorrect in their indications of when it would be ready. First they told us around an hour, so we went to have lunch and came back at 1:00 PM. Then we were told “soon”, so we decided to wait in the lobby. The “soon” ended up being a 1.5 hour wait before the call finally came that the room was ready and we could get our room keys.

Even had the staff indicated up front that our check in would be closer to 4:00 PM we could have planned to make use of the time on the property, but instead we spent an excessive amount of time in the lobby waiting and doing nothing. So overall, poor communication was the core issue. 

Other than that, check in went smoothly and the front desk agent explained many of the property features including a map of the property and activities listing.

Location

The JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa, located at 5402 E Lincoln Dr, is situated in between Scottsdale and Phoenix, in a scenic area called Paradise Valley, Arizona. It is surrounded by the Sonoran Desert, offering breathtaking mountain views. 

This luxurious desert resort is well-known for its sprawling gardens, adobe-style architecture, championship golf courses, and world-class spa facilities, making it a premier destination for both relaxation and adventure. However, it still isn’t too remote, at only a 20-minute drive from downtown Phoenix or Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Old Town Scottsdale is only about 10 minutes away and Camelback Mountain, a popular hiking destination, is just a short 5-minute drive or even within walking distance.

Parking

The massive resort had ample parking options, including complimentary on-site parking,  complimentary valet parking, and electric car charging stations.

Room – Camelback Sundeck Casita, Guest Room, 2 Queen, Balcony

Our room was located closer to the back of the property, which still was only about a 5-minute walk to the lobby, restaurants, and main resort buildings. After checking in, a Bellman drove us with our luggage in a golf cart directly to our room. All of the rooms had limited parking spaces in front of the villas as well, which would be very convenient for those driving to the property.

Our room was No. 508 and one of the few located on an upper level complete with a sundeck. The sundeck was massive, with not one but two seating options in a patio table and four smaller lounging chairs with side tables.

The view of the surrounding terrain and mountainscapes was truly unique.

Stepping into the room, the main living area and two queen beds were immediately apparent to the right. 

The beds shared a single side table, which had a lamp, phone, and alarm clock with regular electrical outlets and USB-A outlets. 

The room had excellent natural lighting with two large bay windows with drapes.

Across from the beds was a small closet with two fridges and the safe, as well as a microwave. Also across from the beds was a modern smart TV on top of an empty credenza, and a small round table with two chairs. The Keurig coffee maker was on this table.

Unfortunately, the creamer packets that came with the coffee were not good and formed a chunky mixture upon mixing with the coffee. As a result, I stuck with black coffee during my stay.

Past the main bedroom area was a smaller hallway which housed a closet and led to the bathroom. The closet was a standard size and relatively empty except for some coat hangers and a weight scale, as the safe was in the other closet mentioned above. 

The bathroom was moderately sized and had a double vanity which is always a bonus. The shower was a good size with plenty of ledge space. The toilet, located in a separate attached room, was just fine.

Overall, this was a nice modern well-appointed room, and other than the coffee creamer I really had no complaints. In fact, the one thing the room was missing was a shaving amenity kit. However, I sent a message to the hotel to inquire if they had these and by the time we got back from our golf day, they’d delivered two razors and full-sized shaving cream cannisters to the room.

A really nice touch of service that is sometimes hard to find in North American hotels. 

Welcome Gift

In my email communication with the hotel prior to our stay, they mentioned there would be a fun welcome gift waiting for us in our room. Surprisingly this was not there when we got into the room, but was delivered to us a couple hours later around dinner time. 

The welcome gift, a ‘Stargazing Experience Basket’, did not disappoint, and included a large basket comprised of champagne, charcuterie, mixed nuts, and four cookies. On top of these, there was a small compactable blanket branded with the JW Marriott property name. 

This is definitely one of the better welcome gifts I’ve received at a Marriott property and reminded me immediately of the blanket and snacks I received at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge a few years ago. 

Restaurants & Bars

Rita’s Cantina & Bar

Rita’s Cantina is the main restaurant at the JW Marriott Scottsdale, and offers traditional Mexican cuisine from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM daily. They have a plethora of seating options including two different indoor sections, an outdoor patio (sometimes with live music in evenings), and a separate bar/lounge seating area.

We sat down for lunch here almost immediately upon our arrival and were not disappointed. We started with the Margarita Trio from the signature cocktail menu.

For food we had the chicken torta and shrimp enchiladas. Both were great flavors and really hit the spot after a half day of travel.

We stopped here again later for an evening snack and a nightcap, and sat on the outdoor patio near the live musician.

Here we had a couple of Old Fashioned’s and tried out some snacks from the dinner menu.

We had the Papas Fritas as well as the Achiote Chicken Quesadilla which were both pretty tasty.

Overall, we found Rita’s Cantina was a solid and consistent option for food and drinks at the JW, and left us optimistic about what we could expect for breakfast the following three mornings of our stay. 

Marriott Bonvoy Elite Breakfast Package

Breakfast was hosted in Rita’s Cantina every morning from 6:30 AM to 11:00 AM. There was an a la carte menu option as well as a buffet.  The buffet was included complimentary as the ‘Elite Breakfast Package’ for Marriott Bonvoy Elite members (Platinum and above), as we opted for this selection as our Elite welcome amenity at check in.  

Read more: Guide to the Breakfast Benefit for Marriott Bonvoy Elite Members

The buffet wasn’t extravagant but had some solid options including an egg and omelet station, freshly made pancakes, french toast, and waffles. This was a highlight of the breakfast for me.

Aside from that, there was a nice selection of pastries, fruits, cold meats, dry starches like toast and bagels, perfectly crispy bacon, sausages, and hashbrowns.

Not shown, there was a fridge full of different yogurts, milks, and juice boxes, although fresh juice was also offered by our waitress. 

Lincoln Steakhouse & Bar

On the last evening of our stay we opted to have a more premium meal at the Lincoln Steakhouse. The Super Bowl final was being played when we walked in, which meant we had the dining room area almost entirely to ourselves. 

We started off with some drinks, the Prickly Pear Moscow Mule and Sazarac Bright. Both were excellent. 

For entrees, we enjoyed the flat iron steak with a side of green chile mac & cheese, as well as bacon-crusted king crab salmon with a side of goat cheese potato gratin.

I topped everything off with a large scoop of delicious cookie dough gelato. 

Everything at Lincoln was of excellent quality, including the minute details of the service, such as scraping the crumbs off our tablecloth before each course. I was very impressed.

Tavern 37 at Camelback Golf Club

Tavern 37 is an American-style lunch and cocktail spot at the Camelback Golf Club, open from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM every day. They apparently serve brunch on weekends. 

We did not visit Tavern 37 during our stay, but for anyone golfing at the Camelback golf course, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Starbucks

Located within the Resort Shop, there was an onsite Starbucks offering you a caffeine fix or a snack from the hours of 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Hoppin’ Jacks at the Jackrabbit Pool

Hoppin’ Jacks is a casual poolside restaurant which serves quesadillas, sandwiches, burgers, and more casual options as well as beer, wine, and cocktails. 

Hoppin’ Jacks is open from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM every day. 

Facilities

Jackrabbit Fitness Center

The fitness center at the property was relatively minimal but included all of the essentials you would need to have a complete workout, including cardio treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, free weights, and a few pulley machines.

Jackrabbit Heated Outdoor Pool

The property had a massive heated outdoor pool, the Jackrabbit pool. It was open everyday from 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Of course, the pool was completely empty both times we visited as it was relatively cool weather by local standards.

If you wanted to enjoy a swim in the later evening here you’ll likely have the pool to yourself and the opportunity to do some stargazing as there is little light pollution at the resort at night.

The seating at the pool was plentiful, including many shaded cabanas for lounging. I was really quite impressed by the size and quality, and am sure it is popular in the warmer spring and summer months.

The Jackrabbit Spa

Open from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM, the Jackrabbit Spa is a boutique spa and wellness facility with a pool, saunas, steam baths, and whirlpools. They have a variety of treatments and amenities including: 

• Body scrub
• Body wrap
• Facials
• Fitness classes 
• Fitness counseling
• Foot bath
• Lap pool
• Manicures/pedicures
• Massages
• Plunge pools
• Hair & scalp treatments 
• Steam room
• Therapy baths
• Waxing

Access to the spa pool (18+) is free with the purchase of a spa treatment. View the spa’s dedicated website to learn more about their services and book an appointment.

Resort Shop

The property had a small gift shop which had a variety of souvenirs, clothing, convenience items, snacks, and more. Everything was quite overpriced as to be expected, but still very nice to have something like this available should you find yourself in a pinch.

Camelback Golf Club

Camelback Golf Club features 36 holes across two 18-hole championship courses, the Jason Straka–designed 18-hole, 7,221-yard, par 72 Ambiente Course and the 6,903-yard, par 72 Padre Course. 

As mentioned, we didn’t play the course ourselves but from the pictures we saw I can only imagine it provides a stunning mountain backdrop with a challenging but rewarding golf experience. 

Notably, the resort fee includes complimentary access to the driving range, use of TaylorMade golf club rents (driving range only), and a shuttle to and from the course from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. 

Conclusion

The JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa was a fantastic luxury property in a picturesque setting with the desert and mountainous backdrop always in view. The services, amenities, and dining options all live up to the high standards of the JW brand. I only wish we could have spent more time here to enjoy more of the resort, including the excellent pool, stargazing opportunities, and the adjacent golf courses. 

Hopefully another time in the future we’ll be back!